New Archbishop for Portland, OR

Good news this morning for Catholics in my hometown, Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Alexander K. Sample Metropolitan Archbishop of Portland, Oregon. According to the Badger Catholic blog, Archbishop Sample is "very much in the mold of Cardinal Burke."

Prayers for Archbishop-Designate Sample and the Portland Archdiocese!

A Mother's Vocation

"My dear," said her husband, the cob, one afternoon, "do you never find your duties onerous or irksome? Do you never tire of sitting in one place and in one position, covering the eggs, with no diversions, no pleasures, no escapades, or capers? Do you never suffer from boredom?"

"No," replied his wife. "Not really."
"Isn't it uncomfortable to sit on eggs?"
"Yes, it is," replied the wife. "But I can put up with a certain amount of discomfort for the sake of bringing young swans into the world." 

~ E.B White, The Trumpet of the Swan

Date Change: Apb. Lefevbre Documentary

Due to post production technical issues, it has become necessary to delay the release of the Archbishop Lefebvre documentary.  Look for a new release date in late March or early April.  

Updates will be posted here as soon as information is released.

Sunday, February 24 at 1:00pm

Movie: Archbishop Lefevbre - A Bishop for the Church.  

The life story of this son of the Church who was an African Missionary in Gabon, Archbishop of Dakar, Apostolic Delegate for all French speaking Africa, Superior General of the Holy Ghost Fathers,  Member of the Preparatory Council for Vatican II, Founder of the Society of Saint Pius X. How did he come to find himself in the center of a storm which is still buffeting the Church to this day?  

This documentary retraces the life of Archbishop Marcel Levebvre.  The film will be screened at RONNIES 20 in St. Louis on Sunday February 24 at 1pm and in Kansas City the previous day, Saturday, February 23 at 3pm at CINEMARK Palace on the Plaza.

View the trailer.

In the Bleak Midwinter

Sometimes there are too many things to blog about. Shall I review the St. Francis deSales Oratory Gaudete Gala which took place Saturday evening? The boys' school choir recital at a nursing home? The boys' induction into the St. Stephen's Guild last Sunday? All of these topics are most blog-worthy but, alas, I am occupied with preparations for Christmas, and blogging must take a back seat to these.

But we are in Advent! And certainly it is a time of anticipation and preparation, both externally in our card-sending, gift-wrapping, decorating and menu-planning, and, perhaps more importantly, interiorly in our prayerful meditation, reading and pondering of the events leading up to the Nativity of the Christ Child.

And so, I leave you with one of my favorite seasonal poems. A beautiful meditation in itself!

* * *

In the Bleak Midwinter

By Christina Rossetti

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.
 
Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,
Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

* * *

A blessed Advent one and all...His coming is nigh!

Friday-After-Thanksgiving Dispensation!

For my American* readers who follow the traditional Friday abstinence I offer a reminder that Pope Pius XII granted us a dispensation to refrain from abstinence on the Friday following Thanksgiving Thursday.

Enjoy those turkey leftovers today!
 
*My blog stats show me that I do indeed have international readers dropping in now and then!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I love Thanksgiving. The time of year, the chill weather outside, the cozy warmth inside, the delicious smells emanating from the kitchen, the delightful sounds of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker filling the air, it all comes together in such a comforting way! It's how I remember it growing up, and it's now what our boys expect each year.

I especially love the day before Thanksgiving when all the preparations begin. Our Thanksgiving is usually small, with just the four of us plus Grandpa, but we put on a feast like we're cooking for a crowd, because who doesn't love lots of leftovers?!

Spiced Cranberry Sauce is always the first dish I make. The simmering and popping berries with the spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger and cloves; can you just smell my house?!

Next we'll bake the pumpkin pies, chop-ahead all the stuffing ingredients, and boil the sweet potatoes for a sweet potato casserole that is more like dessert than a side dish. The rest of the menu will be taken care of in the morning, along with the setting of the table complete with my turkey candle-holders. The table would not be our Thanksgiving table without them.

By the way, I do make my own stuffing, but I never stuff the bird. I have used this excellent stuffing recipe for years and like it for many reasons. It is cooked in the crockpot so once it's in the pot, it can be forgotten until dinner is served; it doesn't take precious oven space; and finally, after cooking as it does for hours it tastes just like it came out of the turkey! It is so flavorful, especially topped with homemade gravy made from those delicious turkey drippings.

This day before Thanksgiving also gives me pause to be thankful for all of Our Lord's blessings on us. We have our health, we have each other, and most of all we have our beautiful Catholic faith and a traditional church and school in which to freely raise our family in the Faith. And in these days, more than ever before in my lifetime, we cannot take these things for granted. Indeed, we must redouble our prayers for our Church and our nation, that we will continue to have the freedom to worship as Catholics, upholding and living by our Creed. Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

Let me say too, I am thankful for these men in my life, big and little! Without all three of them I could not begin to put on our Thanksgiving feast, for when my own are not equal to the task, my boys and my husband are my arms, my legs, my hands..... my heart, my soul, my life. God love 'em, I sure do!

And so, on this chilly, foggy day before the holiday, I want to wish each and every one of you a Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving.

C'mon, boys, let's get cookin'!